Lockbolt Collar Feeder With Spring-Arm Release for Serial Swaging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for installing swageable collars on lockbolts are inefficient and labor-intensive, requiring manual operation and separate collar feeders, which can hinder the serial swaging process.
Innovation Solution
A collar feeder device is designed to be easily attached to a swaging tool, featuring a rear body with a male internal tab for radial alignment and a front movable body with parallel spring arms that compress to release collars onto lockbolt shanks, automatically positioning them for swaging and retrieving the next collar from a supply tube.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual operation is used to place collars on lockbolts, then the operator has full control over the process, but the installation process becomes labor-intensive and inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The collar feeder device automatically feeds collars to the presentation position without requiring manual intervention. The device uses spring arms that automatically advance collars from the storage magazine to the presentation position, allowing the system to serve itself rather than requiring continuous operator attention.
Solution Approach 2:
Collars are pre-positioned in a storage magazine and automatically advanced to the presentation position before needed. The spring arms continuously prepare the next collar in advance, so that when the operator needs a collar, it is already ready for immediate application to the lockbolt.
2Extent of automation
If separate collar feeders are used, then collar feeding can be automated, but the device complexity increases and hinders the serial swaging process
Solution Approach 1:
The collar feeder device is integrated with the swaging tool by attaching it to the nose assembly. The feeder shares the same operational cycle as the swaging tool, with spring arms that advance collars in coordination with the tool's movements. This merging eliminates the need for completely separate feeding mechanisms while maintaining automation.
Solution Approach 2:
The feeder device uses movable spring arms that dynamically adjust their position during the operational cycle. The spring arms are resilient and can compress and extend to accommodate the tool's movements, providing adaptive automation that simplifies the overall system rather than adding rigid complexity.
3Productivity
If collars are fed serially to the presentation position, then the swaging process becomes more efficient, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The feeder device is divided into distinct functional segments: a storage magazine for holding multiple collars, spring arms for advancing collars, and a presentation position for final placement. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function simply, while the combination achieves efficient serial feeding without excessive overall complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The device streamlines the swaging process by allowing for efficient, automatic feeding and placement of collars onto lockbolt shanks, reducing operator effort and enhancing the serial application of collars during the swaging operation.
Implementation Method 1
The operator thereafter pushes the tool forward such that the front of the actuator assembly contacts the surface of the workpiece... This forward push compresses springs in the aforementioned actuating arms, releasing a collar onto the lockbolt.
Implementation Method 2
When the operator pulls the trigger on the tool to swage the now in-place collar... the barrel of the nose assembly and the rear stationary body are drawn forward swaging the collar by the use of secondary springs 30.
Implementation Method 3
When the operator withdraws the tool, the lower assembly springs 32 re-extend; the lower assembly then pivots back up and a gripper mounted on the lower assembly picks up the next collar from the supply and places it in the presentation position.
Data Source
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AI summary
A device is disclosed for supplying swageable collars from a magazine to a swaging tool such that the collars may be affixed to the shanks of lockbolts in a series of application steps. The feeder device can be mounted on the nose assembly of a swaging tool so that collar feeding and swaging can be accomplished in a single-handed operation. The feeder device responds to contact pressure against a work surface during a collar placement maneuver to release a collar from a presentation position for normal swaging. Releasing pressure on the workpiece allows a lower assembly of the feeder device to lift the next collar available from a magazine into the presentation position for application to the next lockbolt shank in a series of lockbolts to be finished.